Sous vide isn't just for chefs in fancy restaurants anymore. How to cook using sous vide can take the intimidation and mystery out of this unique cooking method.

1. Don't try sous vide at home unless you have the proper equipment.
2. Make sure the bag is sealed completely air-tight before submerging.
3. Use herbs and spices sparingly, as their flavors may intensify during the sous vide cooking process.
4. Never use a marinade containing alcohol for sous vide cooking.

Sous vide isn't just for chefs in fancy restaurants anymore. How to cook using sous vide can take the intimidation and mystery out of this unique cooking method.

1. Don't try sous vide at home unless you have the proper equipment.
2. Make sure the bag is sealed completely air-tight before submerging.
3. Use herbs and spices sparingly, as their flavors may intensify during the sous vide cooking process.
4. Never use a marinade containing alcohol for sous vide cooking.

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• by Brigitte g

• Sous vide is not a method that can be used carelessly. Because sous vide food is cooked in an air-tight bag, improper use of the sous vide method can result in botulism, a severe, potentially deadly type of food poisoning that occurs in the absence of oxygen.Wikipedia.com: Sous Vide

• At one point, New York City's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene even outlawed the sous vide method of cooking because of disagreements over minimum temperature requirements.Chow.com: Viva Sous-Vide! The method is becoming less controversial as sous vide standards are made and followed in the food industry.

1. Use the correct equipment. You must be able to measure water temperature and cooking times precisely.
2. Follow the instructions in sous vide recipes exactly. It's hard to believe, but even a one degree temperature difference will affect the way the food cooks.Wikipedia.com: Sous Vide
3. When in doubt, throw it out. If you're not positive that the food was cooked thoroughly according to sous vide guidelines, toss it.

• If you want to try out sous vide, you'll need to either invest in or borrow the proper equipment. There are only a few things you'll need:

1. Vacuum sealer (such as a FoodSaver or similar system)Foodsaver.com: Vacuum Sealing System
2. Digital cooking thermometer: Don't skimp on this. Cheaper thermometers can have an error range of up to two degrees, which makes a world of a difference in sous vide.Douglas Baldwin: A Short Guide to Sous-Vide Cooking
3. Sous vide water bath (an alternative is a rice cooker used with a special temperature controller).Wired.com: Former Microsoft Genius Masters the Culinary Art of Sous-Vide

• For any sous vide recipe, there are four parts:

• When you season your food prior to vacuum sealing it, you should keep in mind that sous vide requires special consideration when seasoning.

1. Marinades are fine to use with sous vide, but if your marinade contains wine or any other kind of alcohol, you should cook the alcohol out of the marinade before sealing the bag to avoid uneven cooking.Douglas Baldwin: A Short Guide to Sous-Vide Cooking
2. The temperatures used in sous vide aren't high enough to allow vegetables to add flavor when combined with meats.Douglas Baldwin: A Short Guide to Sous-Vide Cooking If you want to cook veggies, put them in separate sous vide bags since they'll need to cook for a longer amount of time.
3. Raw garlic doesn't work well with sous vide cooking.Douglas Baldwin: A Short Guide to Sous-Vide Cooking If you want a garlic taste, add a small amount of garlic powder.
4. Many herbs and spices give off an amplified flavor under the sous vide method, so use them sparingly at first until you're comfortable with a recipe.

1. Using bags designed for your particular vacuum sealing system, put small portions of the food into individual bags.

2. Follow the instructions for your food sealing system to vacuum seal each bag.Wired.com: Former Microsoft Genius Masters the Culinary Art of Sous-Vide

3. To avoid air bubbles inside the bag (which cause uneven cooking), be sure the bags are completely sealed before submerging.

4. Preheat your water bath to the temperature specified in the recipe before submerging the sealed bags.

1. Time and temperature must be monitored very carefully during sous vide cooking.CuisineTechnology.com: Sous Vide Cooking

2. Carefully remove each bag at the end of the cooking time and either serve or refrigerate immediately.

3. Safe refrigerated storage times for sous vide prepared foods will vary from recipe to recipe. If it's not mentioned in the recipe, assume you'll need to serve the food immediately.

1. Many sous vide recipes will yield meats so moist you need to pat them dry with a towel before serving.Douglas Baldwin: A Short Guide to Sous-Vide Cooking

2. Some people prefer to brown or sear the outside of the food before serving for a more finished appearance.Wired.com: Former Microsoft Genius Masters the Culinary Art of Sous-Vide

• Sous vide recipes can be tough to find! Here are a few basic recipes which you can personalize with your own seasonings.

• While the thought of chicken being cooked "medium" may sound scary since we're used to all chicken being cooked to "well-done," sous vide allows us to safely cook light meat to a lower internal temperature because it's pasteurized.Douglas Baldwin: A Short Guide to Sous-Vide Cooking

1. Start with a boneless, skinless chicken breast.
2. Soak the chicken breast in a 5% salt solution for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.Douglas Baldwin: A Short Guide to Sous-Vide Cooking
3. Remove from the salt water and rinse in cold water.
4. Pat dry with a paper towel.
5. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
6. Vacuum seal in bags, only one chicken breast per bag.
7. Cook at 160 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 hours.RecipesonRails.com: Barbeque Sous-Vide Chicken
8. After cooking, remove the chicken breast from the bags and pat dry again.
9. Serve immediately as is, or you can brown the outside slightly in a pan or using a blowtorch.Wired.com: Former Microsoft Genius Masters the Culinary Art of Sous-Vide

1. Start with a fresh beef chuck roast or top round roast.

2. Slice the roast into pieces no thicker than 2¾ inches each.

3. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Vacuum seal each slice in its own bag, along with a dash of garlic powder and a pinch of fresh thyme.name="RecipesonRails.com B">RecipesonRails.com: Sous-Vide Bottom Round Roast

5. Cook at 131 degrees Fahrenheit for 24 hours.Douglas Baldwin: A Short Guide to Sous-Vide Cooking

6. After cooking, remove and pat dry with a paper towel.

7. Sear the slices of roast for one to two minutes per side in a hot pan or using a blowtorch then serve immediately.name="RecipesonRails.com B">RecipesonRails.com: Sous-Vide Bottom Round Roast

• If you'd like, you can crisp the fish skins and use serve them alongside the sous vide cooked fish.

1. Remove the skin from fresh salmon and fillet.
2. Soak the fish in a 10 percent salt solution before vacuum sealing to prevent protein from coagulating on the fish during cooking.Douglas Baldwin: A Short Guide to Sous-Vide Cooking
3. Remove the fish from the salt water solution and pat dry with a paper towel or napkin.
4. Season lightly with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
5. Vacuum seal in a bag along with a one tablespoon of virgin olive oil per bag.
6. Cook for 20 minutes at 102 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit.Wired.com: Former Microsoft Genius Masters the Culinary Art of Sous-Vide
7. Even though the fish may look raw after cooking, don't worry, it's not. It will have the consistency of cooked fish.Wired.com: Former Microsoft Genius Masters the Culinary Art of Sous-Vide
8. After cooking, remove from the plastic bags and serve immediately.

• What is Sous Vide?
• Safety
• Equipment
• Cooking Sous Vide
• Sous Vide Recipes to Get You Started
• References for How to Cook Using Sous Vide